Rare Eurasian Oystercatcher Makes Incredible Journey from Poland to Africa, Stopping at Tuzly Estuaries
In the southern region of Ukraine, within the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park, a remarkable event was recorded — a rare bird undertaking an extraordinary migration, making a long pause in the park’s coastal waters.
This bird is the Haematopus ostralegus, known as the Eurasian oystercatcher, a species listed in Ukraine’s Red Book and protected by law.
The bird carried out a complex migratory journey from Poland all the way to Africa, with its stop at Tuzly Estuaries marking a significant highlight.
The discovery was shared by park employee Ivan Rusev, in cooperation with the Polish conservation organization Fundacja Ptasie Horyzonty.
According to Polish ornithologists, the bird is a female, at least ten years old.
This year, for the first time, the bird was equipped with a GPS transmitter, allowing scientists to track its entire route — from nesting grounds in Poland to wintering sites in Morocco.
The entire journey was monitored through GPS data: on August 11, 2025, the bird left Poland, and the next morning, the signal was detected over the Tuzly Estuaries.
This sudden transfer across national borders became a surprising event for researchers, as the bird flew overnight across Ukraine and Moldova, covering hundreds of kilometers.
Weather conditions initially hampered their search, but in September, the bird continued its migration through Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Tunisia, and Algeria, finally reaching Morocco.
In total, the oystercatcher traversed over 5000 kilometers, most of it during nighttime flights across the Black, Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas.
Such swift and intense migratory activity highlights the extraordinary capabilities of this species and underscores the importance of international collaboration among ornithologists in the preservation of migratory birds.
Recently, the mass return of sub-Antarctic penguins to Ukraine’s “Vernadsky” Antarctic station on Galindez Island was recorded, with about 7,000 penguins observed during October counts — the highest number in the past year, indicating a positive trend in their population.